Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-17
soUTmEgS rAEMERsINCouACIL.
Meeting of the Interstate Conven'
ton at Atlanta. Ga.
IBy telegraph 10 the Dispatch.


ATLANTA, Ga. August 16.-The in
ter.State convention Of farmers met at
Degrois's Opera-House at 10 o'clock
this morning. There was large at
tendance, and the delegates were from
the best class Of farmers. The meeting
was called to order by Hon. j. Il. Hen
dsrson, Commissioner of Agriculture
of Georgia. Prayer was offered by
Rev. Henry Clay Emerson, pastor OF
the First Methodist church. A short
address was delivered by Commissioner
Henderson outlining the history of the
movement which resulted in tho con-
vention. He asked for q full discussion
of the various causes supposed 20 i'm
pcde agricultural progress. Among
the subjects mentioned were the credit
system, guano, all cotton, protective
tsrif, etc.
At the conclusion OF Commissioner
Henderson's remarks Governor Gordon
was introduced as temporary chairman.
The Governor said that every thought
ful patriot would hail the assembling
Of the convention as q promise of
good. The basis of agriculture was
as broad as the earth, and the success
of agriculture as important as the air
around it. The interests of all are en-
bl.ced in this one science. Agri-
culture is tho guardian OF every
conceivable interest of society. De-
stroy agriculture and nothing could
live /; but agriculture could live though
everything else were dead. Let agri-
culture die and commerce dies ships
rot at their wharves, the system of
railroads becomes silent mockery, and
tho arid waste Of desert becomes the
fittest representation of the most beau
tiful cities. If that be true, and 1t is
true, no words can sufficiently emPha-
size the Importance of the con-
vention of farmers. The pillow
is the forerunner of civilization, and to
find the cause which brings depression
is tho commanding duty of every lover
Of his country and his race. Ii agri-
culture is not remunerative there is
some mistake. Where is it ? The con-
vention is here to find it. The trouble
is not in the southern climate, soil, or
seasons. God might have made good
lier land, but it did not please Him to
do so. This is land of sunlight
without sunstroke--a little sun-brown-
cd, perhaps, but greatly sun-blessed.
At the conclusion of his address the
Governor introduced Henry W. Grady,
saving that rs communicative of
the armies and navies of Georgia he
bad commanded Mr.. Grady to appear
and welcome the farmers to the State.
Mr.. Grady made one of his happy
ard characteristic speeches.
In the course OF his remarks Mr..
Grady discussed the cotton plant and
its enormous revenue to the South. He
said: elf this enormous revenue of
S4O0, 900, 900 per annum could be kept
at home; if the supplies that We eat
were raised on our farms and the
articles we buy were manufactured
in our cities, in ten years the
cotton States would be the rich
est section Of the globe" He then
showed that the cities were doing their
part in keeping at homo thi, enormous
revenue. Helsaid "Thera are 230.000
artisans atwork in tho South to-day that
we're not here in 1880, and that does not
include the thousands that arc build
ing enterprises. We manufactured
last year S213,000,000 worth of arti-
cles that six years ago We bought
from the North or West. In the
six years following the cotton exposi-
ton 173 new cotton-mills have been
built in the South, starting 100000
new spindles. The South is witness
ing to-day an industrial revolution for
which history has no precedent. Fig
ures do not measure it, and aaazement
is simply limited by comprehension"